I’m sorry I have been away for so long, but revisions, exams, celebrations, birthdays and then illness have seemed to block my ability to sit in front of a computer for any amount of time and write. However, I am back now and as I am recovering from being ill I thought I’d write about what it is like to be ill at university.

In the three or so years you spend here, you may find yourself at least once needing to see the doctor for any variety of different illness factors. It is because of this that I would strongly recommend that you register with a GP here in Leicester during Freshers’ Week. This won’t be hard or take much time at all as there are normally people around during the first few weeks to easily help you transfer to the doctors in Leicester. (I also should say that if you are registered here at the GPs and then get ill back at home you should still be able to see your GP at home if it is needed).

You will most likely join the Freemen’s Common Health Centre, which at the moment is positioned at the end of University Road (so very close to campus), but I think is moving to almost on campus! There they have doctors and nurses to see you and they can do blood tests, how exciting? Anyway, it’s a good doctors and they are normally really helpful. The only problem I have had with them is they don’t have a pharmacy on site, but I think that is changing in the move… I know… can this get more exciting?

Well probably not.

More general than going to the doctors, being sick at university can feel pretty bad as you’re away (possibly for the first time) from home and most of the time have no one to run around for you and make you feel better. But, you do have new friends who are often more than willing to help get you things you need if you can’t leave your bed or don’t feel up to walk to the shops. It’s likely that everyone will get sick at some point during university so there is a sense that you should all help each other out, which is really nice.

In case people aren’t around to look after you (or are ill themselves) I would recommend keeping a supply of things you like/need when ill in your room at university as it will be useful to have the painkillers or something instead of having to drag yourself out of the house to go and buy them. Oh, and have some good films on stand-by as there is nothing worse than being stuck in bed and having nothing to watch!

Anyways, this probably isn’t the most cheerful topic, but I thought I should write about it, as after being ill last week I realised it’s often really hard to feel sick and be so far away from the things you know. As so many people come from all over the country and world getting sick is always a possibility (especially with my ‘special’ immune system ahaha), but as long as you have signed up for the GPs and are able to give yourself a little break, hopefully you’ll feel better in no time… or, even better do what I did and come home and get your mum to look after you…